The History and Origins of Pita Bread

Also known as Arabic bread, Syrian bread, and Lebanese bread, pita bread (or pitta) is soft and slightly puffed flatbread made from wheat flour that takes its roots from the Near East, presumably Mesopotamia, around 2500 BC. It is a part of many Middle Eastern, Balkan and Mediterranean delicacies, and slightly resembles other puffed bread, like South Asian flatbreads, pizza crust, Iranian nan-e-darbari and Central Asian naan.

From what archeologists can decode, pita bread stemmed from groups of people from the west of the Mediterranean. It is not entirely clear that whether it was the Bedouins or the Amorites who were the pioneers. Both the desert and farming society separately ratified pitas as their own. Before long, its prominence spread as the Bedouin groups exchanged goods and services, and traveled across the Arabian and Sahara deserts.

Initially, the pita was a blend of batter that was left to sit and gather yeast and fresh dough until the revelation that brewers’ yeast works. In the Middle East, It is still regularly made in a patio stove in contrast with the locally acquired pitas that are now made across the globe.

Be that as it may, the historical backdrop of pitas can just truly be acknowledged through the taste. The pita, however, must be tasted with all the distinctive foods that flourish in or enfolded by pita. And afterwards, you will comprehend that sliced bread is the best invention since pita bread.

DELICIOUS, SIMPLE AND SPREADING AROUND THE WORLD:

A rather simple bread that can be produced with the simplest of technologies, with almost unlimited possibilities of dipping, wrapping, and packing, Pita breads are baked at comparatively high temperatures (about 800o to 900 oF) where the thick dough swells significantly, creating an internal pocket (formed by steam). The process of baking takes hardly a minute.

In the US, the popularity of pita bread originates from the use of pocket sandwich bread. Many conventional cultures still use pita as soft taco bread, either with a pocketless pita or disregarding the pocket. Furthermore, pita is cut into pieces and dipped into different sauces and then consumed.

PITA AND ALL THE POSSIBILITIES:

This bread is usually the top pick for complementing dishes like chicken, steak, falafel and lamb. In a classical context, it best goes with baba ganoush, tabouleh, hummus or tzatziki. These are just some of the foods that hold historical importance with pita. Recently, people have been experimenting with different recipes involving the consumption of pitas with eggplants and avocados. Moreover, pita chips are a newly introduced snack that is fried or baked brittle chips made from the bread of pita, and can be consumed with any dipping sauce imaginable.

Whole wheat pita bread is one of the highly nutritious breads out there as it is a good source of protein, calcium, and fiber while containing minimal fat and hardly any sugar. One serving of pita bread normally has fewer calories than two slices of bread.

About Author

Brandi M. has been a professional blogger and content writer for the better part of a decade. She is passionate about food and likes writing about her culinary experiences as well as providing tips and information to share her love for food.